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False claim in Indian media regarding fire at Hindu teacher’s house in Sylhet

A video is recently being circulated in various Indian media outlets claiming that the house of a Hindu teacher named Birendra Kumar Deb (Jhunu Master), a resident of Gowainghat Upazila in Sylhet, Bangladesh, has been set on fire. The claim was also shared by Amit Malviya, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and head of the BJP’s IT cell, on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

See reports by Indian media on this claim: NDTV, The Logical Indian, CNN News18 (YouTube), CNBC-TV18, LatestLY, NewsX Live, Times Now, India Today (YouTube), OpIndia, Siasat, Republic World, Zee News, ABP Live, Jagran, News18, Times of India, DNA India, News9, Free Press Journal, Bharat Express, TV9, Sangbad Pratidin, Aaj Tak Bangla, Ei Samay, Kolkata 24×7, Oneindia, Kolkata Television Network, Najarbandi, Bangla Hunt (Facebook), Kolkata News, India.com (Facebook), Aaro Ananda.

See Amit Malviya’s post here.

The same claim has also spread on various social media platforms. See: Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube.

Fact Check

The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation reveals that no incident of intentionally setting fire to the house of the late teacher Birendra Kumar Deb (Jhunu Master) in Sylhet occurred. In reality, it was an accidental fire. This has been confirmed by analyzing local media reports, statements from the victim’s family, and information from the Fire Service and Police. No evidence of any attack or communal violence was found in this incident.

Investigating this claim, a post circulated on a Facebook account named ‘Babla Malakar’ on January 15 was found. Among the eight videos attached to that post, the first video matches the video circulated with the discussed claim. Essentially, this is a longer version of the video that went viral. According to the post’s description, the video shows the scene of a fire that broke out at the house of a teacher named ‘Jhunu Master’ in Bahar village, which occurred around 3 PM that day.

Another post made on the same day on a Facebook account named ‘Zia Uddin Chowdhury’ stated that a fire broke out suddenly around 3 PM at the house of teacher Bikash Sir (Jhunu Master’s ancestral home) in Bahar village. The house and furniture were burnt within a short time.

However, none of these initial posts claimed the incident was an intentional act of arson.

Furthermore, a video containing the statement of an individual regarding the incident of January 15 was found on a Facebook account named Syed Helal Ahmed Badsha, who identifies himself as the Vice-President of Gowainghat Press Club. The person speaking in the video states that the fire started suddenly around 2:30 PM at the house of the late teacher Birendra Kumar Deb (Jhunu Sir) of Bahar village in Nandirgaon Union. At that time, no male members were present in the house. Within a short time, the fire spread and incinerated a total of eight rooms, including the bedroom and kitchen. This caused an estimated loss of 60 to 70 lakh taka, including cash, gold jewelry, and important certificates. The entire statement described the incident as an accidental fire, and no allegations of any attack were raised anywhere.

It is further known from the statement that one of the teacher’s children is Bikash Deb, who is a teacher at Piain Gul Kalim Ullah High School.

Additionally, in another video circulated on January 16 on a Facebook profile named M A Motin, who identifies himself as the President of Gowainghat Press Club, a statement was found from the owner of the fire-damaged house, Bikash Kumar Deb. He stated that everything in his house was burnt in the fire and no goods remained. He also clearly mentioned that he has no suspicion or complaint against anyone regarding the fire incident. According to his assumption, the fire might have started from a fault in electrical wires or a short circuit.

Alongside this, the same information was found in a report by the local Sylhet media outlet Daily Ekattorer Kotha, published on January 16. The report’s information aligns with Bikash Chandra Deb’s statement regarding the fire described above. Citing the Companiganj Fire Service, the report stated that initially, the fire might have started from an electrical short circuit. Furthermore, Md. Abdullah Al Mamun, In-charge of Salutikar Police Investigation Center, stated that after going to the spot and talking to locals, it was known that the fire originated from the haystack room.

Therefore, the claim that the house of teacher Birendra Kumar Deb in Sylhet was intentionally set on fire is completely false.

Sources

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